Italy’s Tiscali Mobile requests EU free roaming opt-out

The Tiscali Mobile MVNO of Sardinia-based operator Tiscali has applied to regulator Agcom for permission to opt out of the newly-introduced roam-like-at-home requirement in the EU for a period of 12 months on grounds of economic viability. Tiscali’s marketing director Massimo Castelli revealed the MVNO’s move in an interview with tech website Key4biz, stating that the new regulation is only sustainable for large operators. “Zero roaming… penalises MVNOs who, relying on third-party networks, have to pay the wholesale costs of the host operator (which is far higher for roaming than the national data average) without having access to compensation,” said Castelli.

Under the EU regulation, operators can opt out of roam-like-at-home and continue to apply regulated surcharges if they can prove to their national watchdog that they will lose money if forced to apply the measure. Tiscali Mobile is the latest of several MVNOs throughout Europe that have requested the opt-out, including Spain’s Digi Mobil, Finnish operators Elisa and DNA, as well as all the operators in Lithuania and Estonia, O2 Slovakia and Voo in Belgium.